Stuffed Artichoke @ Camellia Cafe

ANECDOTES AND ANALYSIS
The most interesting and best news from the restaurant beat in the past several years has been the revival of Brennan’s on Royal Street. For those of us who thrive on first-class dining, it was a dramatic dream come true. What was left of the descendants of Owen Brennan lost control of the original Brennan’s, which then went bankrupt. Then Ralph Brennan (Owen’s nephew) and a well-moneyed partner took over the building and the business. They spent well over $20 million restoring both, and reopened with a legitimate claim to have reunited the Brennan family and what Brennan’s customers considered “the real Brennan’s.”

For those who just tuned in to the fifty-year-old saga, what we have here is the return of a family-owned restaurant which, to a great extent, created the grand New Orleans restaurant as we now know it. At the same time, it brought back from a long-running torpor the uniquely pleasant restaurant that was Brennan’s in its heyday, one that set the standards now widely copied at every level: food, service and environment. This is especially welcome in the pink-walled restaurant in the center of the French Quarter, the one that turned breakfast into a major celebration every day.

WHY IT’S NOTEWORTHY
Brennan’s importance to the New Orleans dining scene is not entirely appreciated by locals, who watched the place lean in the 2000s toward the touristy side, with prices to match. However, that didn’t stop the regulars from coming in. . . well, regularly. Breakfast at Brennan’s never ceased to be wonderful. And more than a few recipes continued to be curated by Brennan’s old-time chefs. Even during the few years leading up to the rebooting phase, people showed up at the front door to dine. In the New Age of the restaurant, the whole bottle of allure got shook up into an entirely new approach to the classics.

The new main bar at Brennan’s.

WHAT’S GOOD
Chef Slade Rushing, who had been making a name for himself in a run of adventuresome restaurants, nabbed the main chef job and immediately set out on a course that would see most of the old dishes perish, to be replaced by brilliant new versions through most of the menu. However, old dishes that were clearly distinctive were kept whole–even the famous Filet Stanley, the city’s best steak-and-banana dish. Some former essays were just rebuilt using current ingredients from name-brand sources. Unlike most long-running restaurants, Brennan’s cannot be accused of being behind the times.

Brennan’s executive chef Slade Rushing.

BACKSTORY
The history of Brennan’s–especially the part that began with the split of the family from 1973 through 2104–makes for complicated and painful reading, and has little effect on the current restaurant. In the split, the sons of founder Owen Brennan had a disagreement with their aunts and uncles as to the future direction of the restaurant. The brothers, owning a majority of the business, claimed it for their own and spun off the six other locations to Owen Brennan’s brothers and sisters. The older generation wound up at Commander’s Palace, where they would repeat the brilliant success they’d experienced on Royal Street. Brennan’s began to fall apart after Katrina, when one thing led to another until the place couldn’t go on. Then Ralph appeared on the scene, to outstanding result.

DINING ROOM Brennan’s building is old even by French Quarter standards, with parts of it having been built in the 1700s. It was famously occupied by Paul Morphy, the world champion chess player, New Orleans native, and Drew Brees of his day. The renovation of Brennan’s took two years and kept a layout that suggests a residential past. Most of these–even the ones upstairs–give onto a courtyard where now one can not only have a cocktail, but also have a full dinner–unless the space is in use for a wedding or business meeting. No two rooms look the same, and most of them don’t look the way they did before the restoration. Every part of the place is magnificent in clean, modern tones. The service staff is well trained, but one wishes there were a few more old guys taking orders and adding character.

FOR BEST RESULTS Everybody has his favorite room at Brennan’s. Mine is the one that opens to reveal the State Supreme Court building across the street. In the old place, it was the kitchen.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT As deft as Slade Rushing is, a person of my generation yearns for some of the mild funkiness the dining rooms, cooking, and service that Brennan’s once had. But that will work itself out over the years.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

Dining Environment +3

Consistency +2

Service+2

Value +1

Attitude +3

Wine & Bar +2

Hipness +2

Local Color +3

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

Courtyard or deck dining

Romantic

Good view

Good for business meetings

Open Sunday lunch and dinner

Open Monday lunch and dinner

Open some holidays

Historic

Reservations recommended

Stuffed Baby Artichokes @ Vincent’s

Stuffed artichoke from Camellia Cafe, Abita Springs.

Baby artichokes are so small that you can eat them entirely, stem and leaves and teeny soft spines and all. The stuffing at Vincent’s is more like a heavy coating, with bread crumbs, herbs, and garlic. Surrounding them are slices of prosciutto and parmesan cheese. Fantastic! When we discovered this at the Uptown Vincent’s, even my daughter–not one to try new dishes often–loved it at first taste. A great appetizer, large enough to split.

Vincent’s. Riverbend: 7839 St Charles Ave. 504-866-9313.

||Metairie: 4411 Chastant St. 885-2984.This is among the 500 best dishes in New Orleans area restaurants. Click here for a list of the other 499.